. My friend and the co-author of the book Raise Rules for Women: How to Make More Money at Work Laura C. Browne, texted me today asking when Creating the Freelance Career is coming out. She said she's excited to read it and wants to write an Amazon review. For that, I'm grateful. I told her that Routledge, the book's publisher, told me Creating the Freelance Career would be published in October. But then I wondered if it had an ISBN yet and as listed on Amazon or any other online marketplaces. So I looked.

Low and behold, the book is on Amazon (you can click here) and has a hardback and a paperback pre-order price...and it says it is COMING OUT IN AUGUST If that is indeed so, it's exciting. If August 26 is truly the publication date, then it will be out this summer as opposed to this autumn. What I do know for sure is that the book is with the copy editor and as soon as the copy editor is done, it will go into the book design phase (which I was told would be complete by some time in early July). The page count on Amazon is an estimate. The word count I turned in was just shy of 86,000. 

When I see the front cover design, I'll post it here, but if you want to take a leap of faith and pre-order, please click this link: https://www.amazon.com/Creating-Freelance-Career-Jill-Ferguson/dp/1138605786/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1525118370&sr=8-1&keywords=creating+the+freelance+career  And thank you, Amazon, for making it feel like this book's publication is imminent. 

And for anyone interested in Raise Rules for Women, Laura and I agreed today that we would write an updated version so stay tuned for that. 

Book editing can seem like a daunting process, that's why it is sometimes outsourced, so a fresh pair of eyes (from those of the author) can review the work. Researchers at the University of Glasgow proved that what our eyes see may not always be translated correctly to our brains since our brains tend to fill in pieces and provide context.  Dr. Lars Muckli, from the University’s Institute of Neuroscience and Psychology said, “We are continuously anticipating what we will see, hear or feel next. If parts of an image are obstructed we still have precise expectation of what the whole object will look like." This is why we cannot always see our typos and our written mistakes, and why it is always important to have at least one editor or proofreader.

But what exactly does an editor or proofreader do? And what type of editing is available? The book publishing industry usually divides editing into four categories or types: developmental, substantial, copy editing and proofreading. Stephen King said in On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft, “When you write a book, you spend day after day scanning and identifying the trees. When you’re done, you have to step back and look at the forest.” That's what a developmental editor does: s/he looks at how every tree fits together to become a forest.

Or, as Grammarly reports, a developmental editor may work with the author from initial concept through outlining and the writing of drafts (basically being a book development coach); make suggestions about content, organization and presentation; or make suggestions with researching, writing and rewriting.

A substantive editor works with the writer on making everything clearer and more accurate to the reader. This kind of editing may require reordering of paragraphs or sentences, rewriting for further explanation or clarity, and editing and organizing for better flow of information or story. 

A copy editor looks at things like whether the style and language use has been consistent. For example, are compound adjectives always hyphenated? Are references in exactly the same format? Has the style guide (Chicago Manual, MLA, APA, etc.) been used correctly each time? The copy editor also corrects typos, grammar, syntax and makes sure the document has a consistent voice. The copy editor also pays attention to figures and charts and illustrations to make sure they are numbered, headed and noted consistently. To go back to our tree analogy, the copy editor exams each piece of bark, each twig on every tree in the forest to make sure they all add up to a cohesive whole. This is the final edit before the manuscript goes to typesetting/book designing.

Proofreading, in a professional publishing context, happens after the book has gone to layout. The purpose of editing at this stage is to catch missing punctuation or any typos that happened during the book layout phase. This is the final time to catch any errors before the book goes to press.

If you're in the market for an editor for your book manuscript, you may be looking for a substantive editor or a copy editor. Or, if you are self-publishing, maybe it is just that extra set of proofreading eyes you need. A professional editor will help make any book better. And as illustrated below, creating a stellar product can rarely be done in a vacuum.  Hillary Rodham Clinton said that it takes a village to raise a child; it also takes a village to produce a well-written and edited book.  

Twice this week I've received e-mails asking for book writing advice and about book coaching. TCK Publishing wrote that most people have no idea what a book consultant or book coach even does. And I agree, which is why I will explain here exactly what I do.  I have no set formula for when I coach someone who wants to write a book because every experience is different; people are at different points in their writing or understanding of how the writing and publishing processes work. I approach each coaching relationship with fresh eyes and tailor the program, assignments, and guidance based on the needs of the person who hires me. Coaching should not be a one-size (or style) fits all model. 

During our first meeting, we discuss goals, timelines, workloads, dedication, proposed routes to take (self-publishing? want help finding an agent and publisher?) and then set up an initial program with assignments that can get you where you want to go and that can then be modified as needs change. Some clients I've worked with want to fast-track their writing and publishing process and may be done in months so we meet either in person or electronically frequently. Other clients, I've worked with for years and years as they wrote and edited and evolved their projects much more slowly so we meet less frequently. Neither method is better or worse as long as it meets the goals of the author. And both timelines and any in between are included with my package deal coaching in the products section of this website.  

In my forthcoming book, Creating the Freelance Career, chapter six is devoted to the publishing of books, articles, songs, and artwork, but its primary focus is on book publishing. Understanding how it all works is important. Having other people read your work and provide feedback, either in a writing group or in a professional coaching situation, is equally as valuable. I worked with my first writing coach when I was 14, and I've been in writing groups on and off since about that age, too. I've learned so much from my coaches and my fellow writers, and that's why I've taught classes on how to get published and do coaching myself. I believe its important to share our knowledge and to work together to create the best things we can create.   

An initial consultation is free, so if you've always want to write a book and need the help of someone who has been there and done that--and who has been published by traditional publishers as well as self-published--send me an e-mail, and let's set up a time to talk. Publishing Perspectives reports that 200 million Americans want to write a book, if you're one of those people, stop dreaming and start writing. And seek out a book coach if you need some guidance.